If you're torturing yourself by watching Bush give his "September the 11th" speech, give yourself a break and read Dan Froomkin's column today:
The White House would like you to believe President Bush is putting politics aside as he leads the nation in remembrance of the September 11 terrorist attacks of five years ago.Froomkin is right. It's all political. Most of the media are fawning over Bush today...it's disgusting. They're playing right in to his (and Rove's) hands. As Froomkin points out, what Bush isn't saying is key. He's laying out their game-plan for the next eight weeks. Exploiting "September the 11th" (as Bush calls it, count how many times he says it during the speech) is the GOP campaign plan:
But it's not true.
What's also telling, as usual, is what Bush didn't say yesterday, and doesn't say, period.Bush needs Americans to be afraid because it's the only way the Republicans can win.
He doesn't say we won't allow ourselves to be terrorized, and we won't be afraid. (That would run counter to the central Republican game plan for the mid-term election.) He doesn't say that in our zeal to fight the terrorists, we won't give up the qualities that make America great. He acknowledges no mistakes, he calls for no sacrifice, he refuses to reach out to those who disagree with him.
It truly is amazing that reporters don't just guffaw when Bush and his White House flunkies say they are not being political. It's all they do.
